Devotees gathered for Arudra Darshan of Chidambaram

A large number of devotees visited the Shri Natarajar Temple in Chidambaram on Monday on the occasion of ‘Arudra Darshan’ at the conclusion of the ten-day programme.

After catching a glimpse of the presiding deity during the annual event, people from neighboring districts and across the state visited the historic temple and offered prayers.

In between hymns, Lord Natarajar and Goddess Sivagamasundari in a cosmic dance posture were taken out in a procession at 6 pm on a palanquin from the thousand-pillared mandapam to the sanctum sanctorum, where special pujas were performed.

It is one of the two important annual 10-day festivals when Lord Natarajar is taken out in a procession through four car roads into the temple town, the other being ‘Ani Thirumanjanam’.

The Cuddalore district police had formed a massive security cordon, deploying over 900 policemen, to control the crowd. The district administration had declared a local holiday on Monday in view of the festival.

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